 While the search for the recent Pectoral Sandpiper proved predictably fruitless it did however yield some nice autumn birds. I'll take these as consolation prizes and proof that it's worth keeping looking. First up, were 4 Stonechats followed by a late first-winter Wheatear enjoying the newly dug drainage pipe mounds. Skylarks and Meadow Pipits continue to move through the site along with an increasing number of Reed Buntings. Three Little Grebes continue to frequent the deep pool along with a Grey Wagtail and it was while observing this latter bird that I notice the star bird of the day - a Rock Pipit! A pretty scarce bird in the county, Stanborough Gravel Pits does well for this species with Rock Pipits visiting annually and this the second record of the year following a Spring bird on 16th March. In classic form, it crept along the edge of water, taking a bath at one point before preening on the bank. Some photos of the Rock Pipit with a video of it preening below. I mentioned the Wheatear enjoying the newly dug drainage pipes and this work represents another major step in the site's 'restoration' to farmland. Many hundreds of metres of perforated pipe are being laid underground every 20 metres or so on all the slopes. These then feed into main drain pipes that will take run-off water to both the main pit and deep pit. While the work is fascinating to watch I can't help feeling that an awful lot of plastic is being buried in the soil and that good old-fashioned ditches might have been a more environmentally suitable solution. Whether these drains work long-term or not remains to be seen and hopefully some water-logged areas will remain for over-wintering Snipe and Jack Snipe.
0 Comments
 The first week and a half of March saw some much warmer weather with temperatures reaching a heady 18 degrees Celsius. South-easterlies also felt promising but those elusive Spring migrants are still awaited. New planting has begun (following and perhaps prompted by the recent hedge destruction) and hopefully new good habitat will grow up along the track bank in time. Despite the lack of Spring migrants a few highlights have headlined the period and are indicative of the changing season. New for the year, a Shelduck appeared for one day on 2nd and another 2 on 11th. Also new for the year, up to 3 Barn Owls have been present on site with one regularly hunting the back of the turnip field. The real highlight came today, along with the 2 Shelduck, in the form of 2 Redshank feeding along the edge of the main pit. Hopefully harbingers of more wader passage and certainly an expected arrival in early Spring. Along with the Shelduck and Barn Owls, they take the site year total to 89. The first White Wagtail of the year was also with the Pied Wagtail flock. The Redshank feeding on 11th Mar Otherwise, the usual parallel trends of growing flocks of winter birds feeding up before leaving and others pairing and courting with a view to breeding have been evident on site. The Fieldfare flock enjoying the turnip field has stabilised around 200 birds while Common Gull numbers have diminished being replaced by increasing numbers of Black-headed Gulls. A female-type Marsh Harrier was seen on 7th and on the same day at least 24 Common Snipe were flushed from the main weedy area along with at least 3 Jack Snipe. In the same area a single Stonechat was last seen on 3rd and may be the last sighting until they return in late summer post breeding. On the water, wildfowl numbers have generally fluctuated day-by-day but overall have increased. Around 30 Teal, 5-10 Wigeon and up to 50 Shoveler remain on site along with up to 20 Gadwall and well over 30 Tufted Duck and just one Pochard. Mandarin Duck number remain around 12 birds with a peak of 16 on 7th but mostly now paired up. A Great Crested Grebe visited again on 3rd and a pair of Little Grebes are now exploring nesting sites around the deep pit. Coot numbers have risen to at least 5 birds and their calls are now heard constantly as they begin courtship.  Great Crested Grebe on 3rd Mar  The last half of February proved very quiet with little to report and many of the same birds present. However, a returning Oystercatcher arrived on 23rd and stayed until the next day - a welcome boost to morale as Spring tarries! The site would appear suitable for them to breed but, being relatively new habitat and in constant flux, the site may not hold enough food for them. Either way, the Oystercatcher brings this year's site total to 86. Other wading species were in short supply with a maximum count of 11 Snipe flushed on 20th along with 2 Jack Snipe - presumably the same birds recorded earlier in the year. Up to 80 Lapwing remained in the area along with 2 Green Sandpipers favouring the long drainage pit as usual. An adult Yellow-legged Gull joined the gull roost on 23rd and appeared to be a different bird to the one on 4th being a heavier, possibly male, bird.  Adult Yellow-legged Gull on 23rd Feb Wildfowl numbers have fluctuated, presumably in response to varying levels of disturbance at the site. Mandarin Duck numbers have grown to 12 birds with Wigeon fluctuating between 20 to 50 birds. A noticeable influx of Teal occurred with a peak of c150 on 24th but all virtually gone by the end of the week. Tufted Duck numbers also peaked at 19 birds on 24th and varying numbers of Shoveler (max 21) and Gadwall (max 10) were present. A single Pochard visited on 22nd while a Little Grebe has been seen on a couple of occasions. Two Great Crested Grebes were present on 26th and 2 Coot remain on site. Another Little Egret made a brief appearance on 23rd. Perhaps more noticeable on site has been the flocks of birds gathering to feed in the large sheep fields. Common Gulls have been passing through with the flock peaking at about 300 birds on 20th. The most dramatic flocks have been the Woodpigeons with some Stock Doves and Jackdaws mixed in. Several flocks of around 1,000 birds commute between the surrounding fields and virtually cover the crop when they land! Woodpigeons feeding on the turnip tops A smaller flock of c100 Fieldfares also remains in the field. These flocks of course attract predators and 2 Peregrines have continue to visit the site but, as yet, no Merlin. Last year's wing-tagged Buzzard has reappeared and at least 2 Ravens have been seen flying over the site on a few occasions. Another noticeable change - very much in line with previous years - is the growing flocks of Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits visiting the water's edge. Hopefully these in time will harbour White Wagtails and maybe some scarcer pipits.  Wing-tagged Common Buzzard - tagged in the nest in nearby Hatfield Park Passerine activity is more noticeable with the approach of Spring and both Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings are now singing on site. They will hopefully breed but one major set-back for all passerines has been the sudden removal of the willow hedge between the ruin and Symondshyde Farm. Aside from providing shelter and nesting opportunities for many birds the hedge-line also provided a valuable corridor into an otherwise shrub-less site. The track between the hedges also held a variety of butterflies not found elsewhere on site. It is not clear why the hedge was ripped out and hopefully it will be allowed to re-grow but equally it may be ploughed in and replaced with a fence. A real loss at the very start of the breeding season.  The good news is that March has arrived and with it the promise of Spring migrants. We'll hopefully soon have the calls of Little Ringed Plovers on site with Sand Martins and Swallows overhead. Last year March saw some excellent birds so let's see what this year brings!  Red-legged Partridge on 24th Feb  Two weeks into the year and the Stanborough Gravel Pits year list has climbed to a healthy 60 or so species. New Year's day saw terrible wet and windy weather and yet a few of the regular species could be found - Green Sandpipers, Stonechats, Wigeon and the a Little Grebe. The highlight of the day was a lone Golden Plover battling low against the wind and rain. A larger group of nearly 30 were then seen on 9th with 3 on the field near the model airstrip. A Marsh Harrier put in an appearance on 6th and a Jack Snipe was flushed on 12th. An unusual sighting on 13th was an Alexandrine Parakeet flying over the site with the regular flocks of Ring-necked Parakeets. Freezing conditions gripped the pits in the second week of the year and the main pit froze over save for a small pool. While wildfowl numbers weren't as high as expected a surprise aspect of the freeze was a big increase in Mute Swans with 26 on 12th.  Mute Swans on 12th Jan The first really good bird of the year appeared (albeit distantly) on 16th in the form of a Short-eared Owl. Not recorded in 2024 it is really pleasing to get one in the first winter period. It appeared to come up from near Cromer Hyde Farm where owls were present in 2023 but headed off NW gaining height all the time. Hopefully it won't be the last sighting this year.  A rather distant screengrab of the Short-eared Owl on 16th Jan  The year finished with a variety of highlights - mostly interesting birds that lingered or reappeared and one final new species for the year in the form of 2 Jack Snipe flushed on 27th December along with at least 6 Common Snipe. Good to know they are still visiting the site and they take the site total to 131 for the year. A Little Owl was in its usual hole (pictured) on 7th December however, the next day, Storm Darragh brought its tree down and the hole now sits just a foot above the ground! Subsequent visits have revealed new droppings at the lowered hole suggesting the Little Owl may have continued to visit the hole despite its toppling.  The toppled Little Owl tree On the water, wildfowl numbers grew with at least 20 each of Shoveler and Gadwall and the occasional single Tufted Duck and Pochard. Diving ducks seem to have pretty well vacated the site this month but the male Pintail stayed on until at least 29th Dec while Wigeon numbers peaked at 55+ mid-month. At least one Little Grebe remains faithful to the deep pit. The Caspian Gull reappeared on 24th along with an adult Yellow-legged Gull, the former then staying with the gull roost until 28th. From left to right: the 3rd winter Caspian Gull, the Caspian Gull showing primary wing pattern & the adult Yellow-legged Gull The immature male Marsh Harrier put in an appearance on 18th while a lone Golden Plover flew around the site on 26th. Otherwise it was business as usual with up to 4 Green Sandpipers remaining on site and a flock of c80 Lapwings split between the deep pit and the new workings scrape. At least 4 Stonechat stayed on the weedy areas while the 100-strong flock of Linnet continued to enjoy the seed-heads on the restored areas. A final highlight, particularly as they don't seem to common this winter, were 3 Lesser Redpolls (soon to be demoted to simply 'Redpolls') that were feeding on the alders along the Coopers Green Lane border. Lesser Redpolls
 It feels like it's been a slow autumn passage this year at Stanborough GPs but that may also be to do with the continuing in-filling work at the pits. Very little open water is left but just enough to retain the Mallards and a surprising number of Little Grebes (10+). The expected passage of Wheatear peaked on 8th Sep with at least 7 birds on site and a Whinchat too. Notable too has been the evening roost of Egyptian Geese which rose to a record 65 birds on 11th Sept - possibly a County record. The species seems to be going from strength to strength and may well be set to overtake Greylag Geese populations. The evening of 13th Sept saw the largest flock of Meadow Pipits this autumn with over 200 birds flying around the site and over the main field. With just one of two birds on 11th these birds are fresh in from the north. An additional highlight of 13th was a flyover Golden Plover that dropped down into fields south of Coopers Green Lane.  The real highlight cam yesterday evening, however, with a (presumably) returning female-type Merlin hunting over the site. Initially perched on the track it then hunted Meadow Pipits over the large field, giving chase right into the trees towards Cromer Hyde Farm. As I prepared to leave the site I noticed it was perched back in the field much closer and I was able to take some photos and video in the fading light. The Merlin seemed quite dark suggesting a juvenile bird. The same evening also saw a roosting juvenile Dunlin at the site (see title picture) and an arrival of at least 7 Mandarin Ducks to roost - absent from the site in the last month.
 Not much in the way of photos to prove it thanks to heavy rain but this morning saw an influx of waders to the site. Heavy rain moving in from the southeast with easterly winds in the previous days meant the conditions overnight were ideal to bring waders down as they migrated. As soon as I stepped out of the car I could hear a Ringed Plover calling overhead and as I searched for it another bird started calling too. I picked the latter bird up first - a very early Bar-tailed Godwit - before getting on the Ringed Plover too. Both birds spent about 20 minutes circling the site calling but never seemed to land. Eventually both birds were lost to sight. However, Tom, another birder on site had already located 4 Dunlin which soon turned into 5 and were joined by a Redshank. In the process of scanning and searching the site 2 Green Sandpipers were also located. Along with a couple of Lapwing it was a 6-wader day for Stanborough GPs! Despite the rain and getting soaked the morning was a classic early Spring experience with the feeling that anything might drop in at any point. Tom had seen a pair of Pintail before I arrived and also had a probable Merlin sighting. This follows on from another 3 Pintail seen a few days ago and another Merlin sighting yesterday as it hunted the flock of 200+ Fieldfares still in the turnip field. A Little Owl was heard to call from towards Cromer Hyde Farm while a Great Crested Grebe graced the main pit - just the second record this year and a scarce visitor. A pair of Little Grebes and a pair of Mandarins also remain on site.  Great Crested Grebe |
Recent SightingsAll the latest birds, wildlife and news from Stanborough GPs Archives
November 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed